MBN 1Gal Echium candicans (fastuosum) 00654

PRIDE OF MADEIRA

closeup

very closeup

habit, purple

flowers coastal

planting, blue flowers mixed colors very blue an

evergreen shrub with dramatic grey green to silvery grey foliage.

Mature specimens can get to 6-8’ tall, 8-10’ wide. Mature specimens

become flat-topped and tree-like, and a little bizarre; you

may find them a little woody and somewhat unattractive, I find them

beautiful and intriguing. Tall, upright spikes of densely packed

flowers appear in early to mid spring. Color ranges from light rose

pink through dark purple blue, with most plants falling somewhere in

the medium blue range. This is a plant Californians pretty much take

for granted but out of state visitors are often struck by their

beauty and comment on them. It really deserves to be featured for

its spiky grey foliage and texture alone, especially against dark

backgrounds, and would be quite valuable whether it ever bloomed or

not. That said, I have never seen a seedling be less than

spectacular when flowering. It prefers sun to part shade with little

or no summer watering required when established. I have seen plants

reach to 8' when sited against walls where they reach for light.

Since it usually (but not always!) breaks from old growth when cut

back hard, if you want to keep its size in check get on it

early before it gets out of hand and try to only cut into green

wood. Make sure you give this one enough room, it won't look good or

respond well if you are constantly cutting it back. It is often

planted too close to walkways, and clearance pruning quickly forms

it into a wall of foliage. I think 5-6' should be a minimum sidewalk

allowance. Large, stretched plants are prone to breaking major

branches in close to the crown but they usually resprout and grow to

cover the damage. Plants that are sited in rich, moist soils will

tend to break more often. On plants you need to restrain, do your

pruning either post bloom or in late fall, so they have time to leaf

out and be ready for its spring flowering. Plants usually age and

need to be replaced after five to fifteen years, but the replacement

will grow so outrageously fast it hardly matters. Can be severely

damaged by frost below 25°F but all plants I know of survived the

1990 frost and temperatures at or below 20°F. Canary Islands.

Boraginaceae. rev 4/2011